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Crush zones are designed into the vehicle to absorb collision energy by collapsing or bending a part in a controlled manner.
Crush zones may be holes, dimples, or slots stamped into a part, or be made by using tailor-welded blanks, tailor-rolled blanks, and/or reinforcements. Current vehicles have an increased amount of tailor-rolled and tailor-welded blanks. This makes it more difficult to determine the crush zones because there are no distinct lines that show the variations in steel strength.
Crush zones may also include different types of steel strength and thicknesses. You may have heard the term convolutions and this typically refers to crush zones that have formed ribs or stamped areas across the width of the part.
Crush zones are also kick-up or offset areas that are designed to bend during a collision and redirect collision energy in certain ways. For example: a kick-up or offset area may be designed to direct the engine and transmission under the passenger compartment, rather than into it, during a collision.
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Article validated in 2024